Facebook Class Discussion

     Although the website Facebook seems to be a positive way to socially connect with others, I have found the theory of Karl Marx and his ideas on capitalism and class conflict imbedded within the evolution of Facebook. The website was first launched February 4, 2004 and since then has acquired 750 million users worldwide. I still find ideals of capitalism, class and globalization main factors towards the website's production. Which leads me to the question; does Facebook have part in mass culture? Although Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg did not have capitalistic intentions like many other websites, Facebook is beginning to be driven by a capitalist economy.

     According to an online source Facebook’s revenue comes from advertisements. Microsoft is Facebook’s exclusive partner for serving banner advertising and Facebook serves only advertisements that exist in Microsoft’s advertisement inventory. According to Marx, capitalism is an exploitative order that gives rise to social relations of class conflict. For instance, “find us Facebook” is something you hear on almost all commercials, radio stations and on the web. There is the idea that organizations are trying to tie you to their labels by social networking. Organizations say “find us on Facebook,” but what they are really doing is following the user. Starbucks, Frito Lay, your local hair stylist, take for an example; all want to be part of your Facebook page. So that your friends can see what your interest are and it gives organizations like these a reassuring feeling that their label is being viewed. Facebook did not originally begin its site with these ideals. Originally Facebook began as a college site for students to network and to get to know one another better, relate to each other based on similarities.

     Currently Facebook is available to any person 13 years of age or older with valid email account. Another question I like to ask is does Facebook appeal to an overall class? For the most part, yes it does. According to Marx class is defined as a relationship to the means of production. Although Facebook is for most ages, it has been noticed that young adults from 18-25 years of age are a majority of the individuals using the site. In relation to class status, aside from owning a valid email account, one must have access to the Internet via desktop, laptop, Smartphone etc. Advertisements that appear on Facebook appeal to modern consumers and Internet savvy individuals. Car advertisements, insurance or consumables can all be advertised on Facebook. These items are not always available to individuals with insufficient means; therefore, Facebook has already appealed to a certain class. According to an online source “Facebook users are more technologically savvy and therefore use ad blocking software to hide advertisement, that users are younger and therefore better at ignoring messages and that My Space users spend more time browsing through content, while Facebook users spend their time communicating with friends and therefore have their attention diverted away from advertisements”. For the most part, organizations like Starbucks maintain a Facebook page for means of advertising.

     Social networks like Facebook carry notions of globalization. Facebook has connected much economic, social, cultural and political awareness throughout the world. For example, from an economic perspective Facebook is available almost to anyone everywhere; therefore bringing awareness, uniting, and connecting individuals globally. In some countries the government uses Facebook to summons people for court. Another example, Facebook has socially impacted the globe by becoming the number one used social network. Facebook has been acclaimed for its low CTR, spam, and advertisements. Also, the growing number of users shows the sites ability to connect people and close the gap between foreign, or ‘shrinking world’. Another example, Facebook culturally distinguishes itself upon the masses. The Unites States makes up almost 50 percent of Facebook’s users. Among other countries are Indonesia, Canada and the United Kingdom, which also make up a large percent of Facebook users. On other global aspects, Facebook has been criticized for possible security breaches and the site is banned from many countries and work places. Many people believe that Facebook, My Space, Twitter and social networking is one of the worse things to happen to people and culture.

     The first question I asked earlier was does Facebook hold a place in mass culture, or popular culture. In my opinion it is both because I feel that Zuckerberg initial intentions were harmless and good. Facebook as the leading way to connect with old, new friends, people with the same interest and an overall feel of what people like. However, according to Barker and Cyber capitalism, “the Internet exists within a capitalist world driven by profit seeking and dominated by a powerful consumer culture. The concern regarding democracy is that the World Wide Web will become a commoditized sphere of entertainment and selling rather than of political discussion”. It has been obviously seen and stated that Facebook does serve as an advertisement catalyst within mass culture. The idea of Facebook is still very new and evolving in both negative and positive aspects of culture.

The following clip is a homemade attempt, but still an attempt to promote Facebook and the creators own website.

Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies Theory and Practice, Chapter 11: Digital Media Culture. Sage, 2008.

“Facebook.” Wikipedia. 2011. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 17 August 2011.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

Goldfinger

     I found that themes from Guy Hamilton’s film Goldfinger 1964 could be compared to ideas from Chris Barker’s Cultural Politics and Cultural Policy. Barker argues that “cultural studies consistently claims to be centered on issues of power, politics and the need for change.” The themes from the film Goldfinger share similar ideas. The character James Bond is a dashing, intellectual of a spy and dabbles in danger, politics and for higher power. Barker also argues that “cultural studies is a body of theory reflexively produced with the idea that this process is a political practice.” Moments from Goldfinger like the black tie, smoking cigar, and drinking alcohol scene is a good example of cultural studies within this film. The men in this scene portray wealthy, elite and sophisticated white males discussing politics, power and money. Again you see a group of wealthy men playing golf and again placing high bids on the game of gin. The film focuses in on these ideals and as a culture we take it all in to our lives. Another example from the film is for higher power. Goldfinger wanted the most power, or thought he did have the most power at one point. By trying to diminish the value of the United States gold supply was one attempt at gaining higher power. Also, by working with people from European backgrounds he was able to own powerful explosives and devices to help him accomplish his evil plans. He insisted on the need for change by wanting to be the first to succeed in the venture of crime. Lastly the idea of politics is another obvious theme within the film. The character James Bond is described as the Cold War hero. The Cold War is heavily involved with politics, economy and the highest power. Bond to has access to expensive high-tech spy equipment, which portrays him as a powerful war hero…

Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies Theory and Practice, Chapter14: Cultural Politics and Cultural Policy. Sage, 2008.

The Rules of Attraction

     The novel The Rules of Attraction is a clever and amazing book about the encounters of a few individuals from a small college. Their stories intervene with one another placing the reader in bedrooms, parties and diners with precise detail about how these few people know each other. It makes sense the way the author Bret Easton Ellis forms his text on the young adults, the story starting in the middle and not ending at all. The students of Camden are cliché and stereotypical in my opinion. They put people in genres according to what they wear, how they act, what they listen too. They all have American Express, drink coffee, chain-smoking, drug addicts, party animals and egotistical. No one wants to go home alone on any one night without being laid. They talk about love, but they don’t really know what that is.

     They are self-centered in my opinion, up-class, snotty rich, Caucasian, confused about their existence. I kept thinking as I read, this isn’t going anywhere, the plot I mean. The story begins in October and ends in December and I honestly think that amongst this group of classmates, they have all at one point slept with one another. I thought this was careless behavior and that as young adults they were pathetic.

Lauren is going on and on about some guy Victor who never even mentions her name while on his travels to Europe. She supposedly is goo-goo-gaga over this guy, yet she sleeps with Sean and Paul and some other guy she can’t remember…

Sean seems really cool, laid back, you know, “rock n’ roll.” He is Bisexual and most the men there were bisexual too. They had either slept with Sean, or another male classmate. Sean slept with almost all the girls he encountered although he claimed to be in love with Lauren. What ever happen to Candice?

Paul was he in love with Sean, or Mitchell, or someone else maybe? He sleeps with men mostly and although I feel he did love Sean he gets over him and the many others instantly. Also he took big offense when his friends brought up parents and the fact that they were all getting divorces, yet he claimed that his parents were still hanging together. His mother drags him to Boston to tell him that she hasn’t spoken to his father in a month and that they would divorce soon. (Cliché, stereotypical, to be expected, cultural?)

     I called the novel amazing because I understand what Ellis is getting at about this culture. Here is a college campus with students who should be preparing for their futures, but they don’t’ even know what that is. They don’t know why they are going to school. They change their majors frequently. They only talk and wonder about themselves. All the terrible things that happen in so many individuals’ lives and this self-centered bunch of young adults think that what they are doing is life. It’s pathetic. “They are pathetic.” I visualized their dorms with the popular culture references. Everyone had posters on their walls, owned stereos, drink tab, drive Saabs, smoke parliaments, smoke pot, take acid, swallow mushrooms, swallow pills, swallow booze, swallow cough syrup, wear sunglasses at night and attend Dressed to Get Screwed Parties. Yeah, “it’s pathetic.”

Victor seems to be more down to earth than everyone. Maybe I only think this because he did not speak as much as the other characters; however, while he was in Europe he was not eagerly trying to get back to Camden, back to what everyone was doing. He mentions he is not into guys, or being with them in bed. He is away most of the time. Away from this campus that gives me a hangover just thinking about it. In the end, at the REM concert he mentions that he smiled at a pretty girl and she gave him a nauseated look. His reaction was, “what is her problem?”

“Why couldn’t she just smile back? Was she worrying about imminent war? Was she feeling real terror? Or inspiration? Or passion? That girl, like all others, I had come to believe, was terminally numb. The Talking Heads record was scratched maybe or perhaps Dad hadn’t sent the check yet. That was all this girl was worried about” (273). This is the impression I got from Lauren, Judy, Susan, Katrina, Deidre, Mary, Paul, Sean, Steve, Stuart, Mitchell, Harry, Bertrand and all the other irresponsible individuals...but not Victor.

     What was any of their problems?

     “Rock n’ roll.”

(273) Ellis, Bret Easton. The Rules of Attraction. First Vintage Contemporaries Addition. New York, 1987.